


Sunlight Feels Good

by WrittingSparxx



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rewrite, short fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-30
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:00:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22483759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WrittingSparxx/pseuds/WrittingSparxx
Summary: sunlight feels good, now don't it?i don't have a leaving plansomething's gotta ease your mindYou met Reinhardt five times in your life. Each time, better than the last.
Relationships: Reinhardt Wilhelm/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 61





	1. Fall

**Author's Note:**

> I rewrote it just a little bit. Added more stuff. Love you all.

The first time that you met Reinhardt was in a run-down bar in Germany. The bar had definitely seen better days, the paint chipping the chairs all stained with old drinks, the wood starting to age. But to you it was absolutely charming. This bar had character and it showed. There were stories from this bar that you were dying to hear. That’s one of the main reasons you had ended up in Germany in the first place: You were traveling through to document stories from vetran soldiers who had fought in the different wars over the years. You had notebooks and holopads full of notes about the different wars. 

You had set your dirty backpack by the bar, quickly ordering a drink in broken German. As you settled in with your journal in front of you to work on some notes, you looked around the bar. At the opposite end was an absolute giant of a man. He had long grey hair, beard to match, muscles for days, and was talking loudly and boisterously to a young girl who was begging him to quiet down. It wasn’t until he turned his face that you saw that he was missing an eye. 

Seeing the long scar over his left eye made your heart skip a beat, but you weren’t sure if it was just because the excitement of knowing who the man was. There was no denying that the man was handsome. But you also knew that this had to be Reinhardt Wilhelm. He was a hero, not only serving with the Crusaders, but with Overwatch as well. His service was known around the world, and everything that you heard about him was nothing but praise. He was brave, chivalrous, a hero in every sense of the word. And for him to be there in the same bar as you was beyond exciting. 

Knocking back your drink, it took all your courage to grab your bag and walk to the other end of the bar. Approaching cautiously, you asked him if he was indeed Reinhardt Wilhelm. The response almost knocked you back. A huge smile showed up on a handsome, but broken face. His entire demeanor changed as he adjusted in his chair sitting up taller. Just the response of asking him his name was like a ray of sunshine had appeared suddenly in the bar. You remembered it was like the cheesy movies where the love interest was always draped in a soft spotlight. Realizing that made you blush slightly and turn away. 

Never one to shy away, Reinhardt asked you to sit with him. He ordered you a drink in loud German, making you laugh a little. Hearing such a rough language come out of his mouth was startling. Not unusual, but startling nonetheless. However, you didn’t realize that when you were invited to sit with him it would be for hours. As Reinhardt started to talk about his stories you couldn’t help but be completely enthralled in everything he talked about. The stories of his time with the Crusaders made your heart beat faster with anticipation, as if the man recounting the stories wasn’t sitting in front of you. He talked about his time after the Crusaders and adjusting to having a normal life, which didn’t last for long. He talked about his time with Overwatch and how it gave him a sense of purpose after not knowing what to do for years. He talked about his retirement and how he would go back to Overwatch in a heartbeat. 

At some point you had put your journal away. You only had your one drink that you had ordered when you first walked in, too wrapped up in Reinhardt’s stories to drink.  _ Hours  _ passed as the two of you sat there. And while Reinhardt liked to talk, he never overstepped. When you wanted to contribute to the conversation he was quick to shut up, letting you add in your own stories. When he heard that you were traveling around the world listening to people who had fought in the different wars, he wanted to know more about your project. He asked if you were writing a book and joked that he wanted a dedication in the front. It made you laugh and smile. You promised him that whenever you got around to writing a book, you’d put him as the first person it was dedicated to.

It wasn’t until the bartender was kicking you out and Reinhardt’s god-daughter had come to collect him that you stopped talking. Even then you wanted to continue hearing his stories. You wanted to know everything about Reinhardt. Hell, you were okay with him just reading the German dictionary to you if it meant getting to hear his voice. You wanted to stay there forever. You wanted to hear his voice and listen to his stories and watch as his entire face would light up when he got to the parts he liked the most. Being around Reinhardt was like stepping into the sun for the first time during a cold winter day. It was like coming up to breathe for the first time because everything felt  _ natural.  _

Even with the bar closed and Reinhardt’s god-daughter standing there waiting for him, the two of you kept talking. Neither one of you wanted to leave, it was obvious. It was hard to know whether or not you would see each other again, or if this would be the last moments between the two of you. Finally, as you started to get tired and your backpack was hurting your shoulder, you tore a piece of your journal out, writing your number on it. When you held it out for him, Reinhardt took both your hands in his large ones, completely engulfing them. His face lit up once again as he held his hands up between the two of you. You were pretty sure that your heart was going to fall out of your chest seeing him that happy with your hands clasped between his. 

“I cannot wait to speak to you again!” he said excitedly before letting go of your hands. He took the piece of paper from you, tucking it inside his pocket before waving at you as he and Brigitte headed off toward where they were staying, leaving you dazed in front of the bar. 


	2. Winter

The second time that you met Reinhardt was in Sweden. You had both kept in touch, talking almost every day for months. It just so happened that when you were going to be traveling through Sweden, Reinhardt was planning on visiting his god-daughter and her family. While you had plans to meet with others to interview them, and Reinhardt was visiting old friends, you both were able to find a time that you would be free. Seeing how the two of you had spent hours talking the last time, you agreed that you would meet mid-afternoon in case the conversation ran away from you once more. 

All week leading up to seeing Reinhardt, you couldn’t stop thinking about all the new stuff you were going to tell him. The new stories that you had heard and the new places that you had visited. You had gone through Austria and had seen some of the wonderful country side, and then had travelled around northern Italy. You were hoping to later return to Italy when your attention wasn’t needed in Sweden. 

The day that the two of you decided to meet up it was a particularly cold day. You were standing on the corner where you had agreed to meet, your breath showing up in small puffs of white in front of you. As you waited, you rocked back and forth on the balls of your feet, both to let off some nervous energy and to keep yourself warm. You were excited to see Reinhardt again. When you had met him the last time you felt an instant connection to him. While you were interested in listening to his stories for your research, it wasn’t just about that. The way that he talked about his past, you could hear the hurt behind it. You could hear how he lost so many people. 

Part of you believed that’s why he talked about his past so much. His stories were a way to honor those that he had lost, and a way to keep their memories alive. You remembered a quote that you once read saying that a man died twice. Once when he died and another when someone said your name for the last time. You wondered if this was the main reason why Reinhardt shared these stories: he was trying to keep those who he had lost alive. As long as those stories continued to be told, Reinhardt’s friends were still there with him. You understood how that was. It was partly why you traveled around the world collecting stories: If you didn’t document the battles and sacrifices that people made, how long was it until those stories disappeared?

As you stood there, wrapped up in your thoughts, you didn’t realize that a loud voice was calling out your name. It wasn’t until you were being wrapped up in a strong hug that you even realized that Reinhardt had showed up. Big, muscular arms wrapped around you, causing you to laugh as you were lifted into the air. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders best you could, smiling. "Reinhardt, put me down!" you said half-heartedly hitting at his shoulder. 

"Oh, I have missed you!" he said, sitting you down and laughing loudly. "I am happy to see you!" 

You smiled brightly, blushing slightly. You didn't know if the blush was coming from the cold or if it was because of how happy Reinhardt was to see you. Every time you saw him it was like sunlight falling into your life. "I am so happy that we were able to meet up!" you said, pulling your scarf a little tighter around your neck. You ran your hand up and down your arms a bit, still a little cold. 

“Liebling, are how are you enjoying Sweden so far?” Reinhardt asked, indicating in the direction of the restaurant that he insisted on taking you to. 

You laughed as you continued to rub at your arms. “It’s a lot colder than I expected,” you admitted with a smile. You weren’t used to snow as this was your first year traveling and back in the United States you lived in a much warmer climate. 

“Ah, but the cold will make you stronger! There’s nothing like that first nip in the air!” Reinhardt exclaimed, laughing a bit, making you shake your head. You loved how excited about everything Reinhardt was. You probably could have told him that you saw a bee today and he would have been excited for it. 

“Yes, but I’m  _ freezing!  _ I’m not used to the snow like you are!” you pointed out, still rubbing your arms as you walked. 

You could hear Reinhardt laugh again, making you turn to look at him. He was removing his jacket and you blushed again. He was wearing a dark charcoal grey sweater that hugged his muscles in all the right ways under his dark jacket. Without saying anything, Reinhardt draped his jacket around your shoulders. The sudden weight of the jacket, surprised you. Even though it seemed to hit just at Reinhardt’s hips, you were nearly swimming in the jacket. It was still warm from his body heat as you pulled the jacket tight around you, smiling. “Thank you,” you said softly, trying to hide your face and blush from him. 

“Of course Liebling! I can’t have you freeze before I even take you out to lunch!” Reinhardt joked loudly. You were pretty sure it was impossible to die from embarrassment, but Reinhardt was definitely trying to prove otherwise. Just then, he reached out and put his hand on your shoulder, stopping you in front of a red building with two huge windows in the front. Inside you could see a welcoming environment of people enjoying drinks and having an afternoon meal together. The entire thing made you smile. Reinhardt opened the door and held it open for you. You were immediately hit with the smell of fresh bread and ale, making you smile again. 

Reinhardt made sure to make sure that you both had a comfortable table and immediately ordered drinks. The two of you started to talk about what you had been up to in the month and a half since the last time you had met. You talked about Italy and some of the stories you had heard about the Venice incident years ago. You talked about how Austria was just an opportunity for you to sit and relax for a bit. You talked about how you were probably going to be returning home soon to try and start collecting your notes to write a book. Reinhardt talked about how he was visiting with Brigette’s family. He talked about how he didn’t know what to do with himself now that Overwatch was done with him and had forced him to retire. He talked about wanting to find the places that omnic sympathisers were hiding out and join the battle once again, but he was afraid that he was too old. 

You tried to tell Reinhardt that he wasn’t too old, but he wouldn’t listen. As he got a few drinks in, he started talking about how his muscles were sore all the time and how his knee bothered him early in the mornings, especially if it was cold out. He complained about his grey hair, and talked about how his vision wasn’t as good as it once was. As you sat there listening to his concerns, you couldn’t help but feel a little hurt hearing him talk about himself like that. You tried to be supportive, telling him that all of those things could be fixed with some pain medications or even new tech. But Reinhardt was still unresponsive to the idea of going and joining the fights. 

The two of you sat there talking for a few hours, the lunch crowd moving to the dinner crowd. You talked through dinner and desserts and drinks. You were still enjoying the conversation between the two of you as Reinhardt mentioned that he should probably start heading back to Brigette’s house after being gone for nearly six and a half hours. As you got up, your hand lingered on his jacket, almost tempted to wrap it around your shoulders again, but instead handed it back to him. When the two of you stepped outside you pulled your scarf tight up under your chin, smiling and looking up at the sky. It had started snowing again, and with the lights and the stars… It felt magical. 

“It’s beautiful here,” you said softly. “I can understand why you would want to spend time here. Other than Brigette’s family of course,” you said with a smile turning to look at Reinhardt. “I would never want to leave here, even if I can’t stand the cold,” you joked. 

“When I was still in Overwatch, I would spend my winters in Spain. It didn’t snow often there, and it would make me homesick,” Reinhardt admitted, looking up at the sky, letting the snow fall over his face. 

As you stared up at Reinhardt, you couldn’t help but notice just how beautiful he was. The snow was catching in his hair and beard, making it twinkle like glitter. His eye reflected the light from the streetlights. There was a peacefulness on his face that made your heart skip beats as you watched him. You wanted nothing more than to just stand there forever, enjoying the feeling of the light snow falling on your skin and watching Reinhardt. 

Not wanting to break the moment you slowly reached out, lacing your fingers through his. The sudden feeling of a hand in his seemed to startle him. There was a slight tension in his muscles as he looked down at you. You were still staring straight up at the sky, enjoying the snow and smiling. It took him a minute but his large fingers laced with yours, holding your hand at his side and enjoying the moment. 

You weren’t sure how long you stood there, but the snow collected on your scarf making you smile and laugh as it started to tickle your nose and melt under your breath. You couldn’t tell if you were cold or not, the feeling of Reinhardt’s hand in yours making you blush the entire time. After what could have been seconds or minutes or hours you finally turned to him, pink faced and eyes sparkling. “You know… If you want to continue our conversation, you’re always welcome at my hotel room,” you said softly. You weren’t trying to imply anything, but you didn’t want to let Reinhardt go. What if it was another month or longer before you could see him again? What if this was it and you weren’t going to see him again at all? Or worse, what if he decided to take your advice and take up fighting against the omnics and ended up hurt with no way to tell you? 

“I should go back home, Liebling,” he said softly, sounding hurt. 

“Then at least walk me home?” you asked with a smile, squeezing his hand slightly. 

That night, Reinhardt had walked you back to your hotel. You would later find out that it was in the opposite direction of the Lindholm house, but that night it was obvious neither one of you cared. During the walk through the city you talked about your plans, trying to see if either one of you could make your schedule work to see each other again. You were going back to the United States in a few weeks to start working on your book, and you were worried that it would be months until you were back in Europe, let alone in Germany or Sweden. Reinhardt talked briefly about returning back to Germany before heading to London or even back to Spain for a bit. While it hurt to think about being so far away from him for so long, you knew that it was going to make him happy. 

When you got to the hotel, you took both his hands, smiling as you brought them up to your face, kissing at his knuckles. “I don’t want to leave,” you said softly, trying not to cry. You felt silly. You had only seen Reinhardt in person twice, and you were already so desperate to stay with him that it wasn’t even funny. He was that first breath of cold air hitting your lungs on a winter day. He was a ray of sunshine that warmed you when you needed it the most. Reinhardt Windhelm felt like home whenever you were around him, and you didn’t want to give that up. 

Reinhardt took his hands from yours, moving to stroke your cheek gently. You closed your eyes, melting into the touch. His other hand went to rest on your hip. His hand was so big that it ended up landing just under your ribs. It was a comforting feeling, having his hands there. It felt natural and right and safe. Not only were you closing your eyes in order to try and hold onto the memory of that feeling, but you knew that if you opened your eyes, your heart would be broken. Just the way that he was holding you gave off a sense of longing that you didn’t want to see in his face. “I know, Liebling. I want to stay with you forever,” he said softly. “But I cannot put myself in that position. To have you for a night would only make me sadder.”

At that you almost started crying. You tilted your head into Reinhardt’s hand, reaching up to hold it. “Isn’t a night better than not at all?” you asked softly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still love you all. <3


	3. Spring

The third time that you had met Reinhardt was in the United States. Without so much as a warning, he showed up at your apartment one cool afternoon four months after that snowy night in Sweden. You had given him your address so that he could write to you, and every other week you would receive a letter or small present or postcard. All the little written communications had made you smile. Some of your favorite letters, like the one he wrote in mostly German forgetting that you spoke English after he had one too many drinks, were taped to the wall beside your desk. That way, if you ever got sad or lonely you had a reminder that Reinhardt was always there for you. 

It was early spring by now and you had all the windows open, trying to get some fresh air in after the months the apartment had been closed up while you were on your trip. Papers were covering your desk and side table as you tried to organize them in the best way for your book. It had been slow going the last couple of months, but you were finally ready to get to work on it. When you heard the familiar, jovial laugh, you thought that you were imagining it. Obviously you were so lonely and were missing Reinhardt that you brain was just filling the silence with something you wanted to hear. But then, a few seconds later you heard the doorbell ring. 

Not expecting company that day, you hadn’t really gotten dressed. You were in a pair of old lounge pants and a t-shirt that had seen better days, and your hair was unkempt. You were hoping that it was just your neighbor asking you to turn down the music like she did every day. You didn’t care if she saw you like this. You got the surprise of your life when you opened the door and a tall, giant of a man with white hair and a missing eyes was there instead. 

“Reinhardt!?” you asked in disbelief. 

“Surprise Liebling!” he said loudly, holding out a bouquet of flowers for you. Ignoring the flowers you threw your arms around his neck, leaning into the hug. Even with one arm Reinhardt was able to lift you tightly in a hug. You smiled, burying your face in his neck and nearly crying at having Reinhardt there with you. You didn’t even mind him lifting you up this time. 

“Reinhardt, what are you doing here!? I thought that you would be in Spain by now!” you said as he set you back on the ground, taking the flowers from him. You took his hand, leading him into the apartment as you went to your kitchen to get a vase to put your flowers in. As soon as you found one, you went to work getting the flowers ready. “Make yourself at home!” you said with a smile as you filled the vase with water. 

“I thought that I would surprise you before I left. I missed you, Liebling,” Reinhardt said, leaning against the counter to watch as you fixed up the flowers. When they were put into the vase and set on the island, you went over, wrapping your arms around his waist and leaning your head against Reinhardt’s chest. 

You stood there for a minute, just listening to Reinhardt’s heartbeat. You couldn’t believe that he flew all the way across the world in order to surprise you. He wrapped his arms around your shoulders, keeping you close. “You have perfect timing, you know?” you laughed, pulling away and wiping at damp eyes. You hadn’t even realized that you had started crying with joy over him being there. “I was just about at my wit’s end with reading through all my notes,” you joked, pulling away to lean against the island counter and looking at Reinhardt with a small smile.

“Is there anything I can do to help, Liebling?” Reinhardt asked, putting his hands on the counter behind him. The way that he was standing made his wide shoulders even wider. 

You shook your head at his question. “Don’t worry about me, dear. Are you okay?” you asked looking him over. There was something that seemed to be weighing him down as well. He was favoring his left side, putting his weight on his left leg heavily, his shoulders were low like he was carrying a lot of weight, and that normal sparkle of fun and excitement in his eye was missing. 

Reinhardt looked away for a minute, obviously trying to come up with an excuse. “Oh, it’s nothing! I am just tired from the flight here!” he said, rubbing at the back of his neck. 

“Reinhardt, you should know that I am very good at telling when people are lying to me,” you said sternly, looking up at him in the face. You put your hands on your hips, trying to seem more imposing than you were. 

“Ah, Liebling, it is nothing! We should be focusing on you!” he said, waving his hand in front of him. He was obviously trying to play it off, hoping that you wouldn’t press him on it. But, you stood there in front of him, arms crossed over your chest as you stared at him. After a minute you could see that the stare down was working and he looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. “I ah… I have been worried about something, is all. I don’t know if you have heard the rumors, but they’re recalling Overwatch. They want me to come back…” he said softly, looking up at you with a small smile. 

You couldn’t help but smile brightly, jumping up to hug Reinhardt around the neck again. “Rein, that’s amazing! Isn’t this what you wanted!?” you asked with a smile. You pulled away, taking his hands again. 

“I wasn’t sure at first…. It was hard to make the decision, but I remembered what happened years ago when I was still a Crusader….” Reinhardt’s voice started to waiver a little bit. He looked down at your hands for a minute, running his thumbs across the top of yours. “I was called. I must answer. Always.” he said softly. 

You realized that he was crying. Huge tears falling against your skin as you slowly stepped up and wrapped your arms around him again. You placed your forehead against his chest, just letting him cry for a bit. You ran your hands along his arms, just staying quiet as your comforted him. When his crying stopped, you looked up at him, reaching up to tuck a piece of his hair behind his ear. “I am so proud of you for making that decision,” you said quietly. You were proud of him for making that decision, but you felt hurt and anxious right away. With Reinhardt joining Overwatch again, there was a very real risk that you were going to lose him. 

“I’m scared Liebling,” he said softly, running his hands through your hair gently. You looked up at him, not sure what to say. How could someone with such courage and bravery be afraid of something like joining an organization that he had already been a part of? He must have read your expression because he just smiled, cupping your cheek with his hand. “I’m scared of losing those I love,” he said softly, running his thumb along your cheek. 

You closed your eyes, feeling tears start to well up in them. It was selfish to think that he was referring to you. The after only knowing each other for half a year, and spending most of that time apart, that Reinhardt would see you as someone that he loved. You knew he meant people like Brigette and her family, or the people that he had spent years with in Overwatch before. But part of you wanted Reinhardt to love you. You wanted him to worry about losing you and think about your face while he was away on missions. You wanted him to call you Liebling for years to come down the road. Part of you just wanted to hold him forever and tell him not to go. But it was selfish of you to want that for Reinhardt. 

“Liebling… Please don’t cry,” he said softly, wiping the tears from your eyes. He leaned down, pressing his forehead to yours gently. 

“Reinhardt… I’m so scared to lose you,” you whispered softly. It felt good to admit it, even if you knew it was dumb to think that way. 

Reinhard put a hand under your chin, lifting it slightly so that you were staring up at him. “I’m afraid to lose you, liebling,” he said softly before leaning in and kissing you softly. 

You were pretty sure you stopped breathing at that point. All you could focus on was the way that Reinhardt was cupping the side of your face, his other hand at the small of your back, bringing you closer to him. You reached stood on your tiptoes, running hands through white hair and over broad shoulders. When you pulled away from the kiss it felt like you head was spinning. Smiling, you stood on your tiptoes again, leaning in and placing several quick kisses along Reinhardt’s jaw. You smiled, pulling back enough to take his hands in yours once again. “I am so happy that you’ve decided to go back to Overwatch, Rein. But part of me is worried about losing you. It’s so dangerous working with them. Look at what the years have done to you already,” you said softly, running fingers along raised skin across his arms. “Me being here while you’re across the globe fighting against the omnics is going to drive me mad,” you said softly. 

“Then come with me Liebling,” he said excitedly, taking your hands again. “Come join Overwatch. I’m sure we can find something for you to do! We need all the people we can get so that we can fight with  _ honor!”  _

You started laughing, smiling again. “I’ll think about it, Rein. I don’t even know what I would do if I joined,” you said, shaking your head. 

The next couple of days, you spent mostly in your apartment. The two of you would spend your days watching television on the couch, or talking about what you had been up to over the last four months. There was one morning when you had first woken up in Reinhardt’s arms that you shimmed away from his large form and took your holopad and a cup of coffee outside onto your small balcony to write for a bit. You had curled up under a blanket, the morning air was still chilly, and was sipping on your coffee when Reinhardt joined you. He sat down in the chair opposite you, stretching out some of his sorer joints. 

You smiled brightly, getting used to seeing him like this. He wore the same tank top and lounge pants to bed every night, and in the morning you got used to seeing the tank top ride up over his stomach. If you were both still in bed you would run your arms along his tired shoulders, trying to help alleviate some of the tension in them. Today, however, you just watched as his rotated his arms around, trying to get still joints to loosen up. Seeing Reinhardt like this hurt your heart a little. It reminded you that soon Reinhardt would be leaving for Spain, putting himself back in danger to protect people. As you sipped on your drink, you couldn’t help but think of the offer he made that first day. 

After you told him you needed to think about joining Overwatch, he didn’t ask again. You were glad that he wasn’t pressing the subject, mostly because you didn’t know if you really wanted to join Overwatch. You believed in the message that they were fighting for, but to leave everything that you had behind and join and underground organization? That was a lot to think about. Besides, you weren’t a soldier, you were just someone who spent a lot of time writing and traveling. What use would that be for a team like Overwatch? 

Reinhardt saw you staring at him and smiled, reaching over for your hand. “What are you thinking about, Liebling?” he asked, running his thumb over your hand. 

You smiled softly and finished your cup of coffee, setting your holopad off to the side. Carefully you stood up and walked over to Reinhardt, taking the blanket with you. You gently sat in his lap, pulling the blanket into your own lap afterwards. “I was thinking about how I don’t want you to leave,” you admitted softly, curling up against his chest. “I want you to stay here with me forever," you said softly leaning up to kiss slowly at his jaw. 

Reinhardt laughed, the sound vibrating through your entire body. One of his hands wrapped around you waist to support you, the other going to rest on the top of your knees, shaking them a little. "Ah, you would grow tired of me quickly," Reinhardt jokes, placing a quick kiss on top of your head. "Besides, we shouldn't worry about that!"

"Rein dear, you leave  _ tomorrow morning  _ for Gilbralter," you pointed out, laughing. "We kind of need to worry about you leaving tomorrow," you said with a smile. You leaned in, kissing the tip of his nose, reaching down and lacing your fingers with his on your knee. Sitting there, letting the cool breeze was over both of you, with you hand in Reinhardt's, you started to drift back off to sleep. The only time you opened your eyes was when Reinhardt moved under you or took a deep breath, the feeling vibrating in his chest. 

You weren't sure how long the two of you sat there, but finally Reinhardt moved to stretch out his bad knee, jostling you awake. You smiled and stretched a little, placing a small kiss on his jaw. “What do you want to do today? After all, it is your last day before going and joining a big and scary military group,” you teased, grabbing the blanket and standing up, starting to fold it. 

“Whatever you want, Liebling, as long as I get to spend it with you,” he said with a smile, sitting up and reaching out to you, putting a hand on your hip. 

You smiled and shook your head, letting out a small chuckle. “I really need to try and get my notes organized for my book today. I’m already a few days behind considering that  _ someone  _ decided to show up to my apartment unannounced,” you teased, stepping in closer in order to card your hands through his hair. 

“Are you upset that I’m here?” Reinhardt asked, putting his hands on your waist and pulling you closer. 

You let out a small moan as he pulled you flush with his body and shook your head. “No, not at all, but you are  _ very  _ distracting while I am trying to work. I just want to spend all day doing this,” you said softly, leaning in to kiss him again. You lazily started to kiss him over and over again, each kiss making you melt against him a little more. Soon you were straddling his hips, your arms going to wrap around his neck as you continued to kiss him over and over again. You pulled away for a moment, laughing slightly and started playing with the ends of his hair. “See, I told you that you were a distraction,” you said with a smile. 

“Ah, but at least I am a good distraction!” he said happily, laughing a little. 

You rolled your eyes at him, smiling as you leaned in to kiss him again. “I promise that if you let me work on my book today, I’ll make it up to you tonight. I’ll take you out to dinner,” you said softly against his lips. You smiled and tucked a piece of your hair behind your ear. “Please?” you asked softly, holding up your hands in prayer in front of you. 

“I guess I can leave you to work on your book for a little bit, Liebling,” he teased with a smile. 

“Thank you Rein,” you said softly, giving him one last kiss before heading inside. 


	4. Summer

The fourth time that you met with Reinhardt was a hot and humid day in late summer. You were getting off a drop ship in Gibraltar and as soon as you saw a glimpse of white hair you took off running. Dropping your bags down at his feet, you jumped into Reinhardt’s arms, wrapping your arms around his neck. You didn’t care that there was an entire welcoming party there waiting for the new Overwatch recruits, all you cared about was getting to hold Reinhardt once again. As he started to set you back on the ground, he kissed you deeply, smiling against your lips. 

“Liebling! I am so glad that you are here!” Reinhardt declared loudly, making you smile and laugh a little. No matter what, he always seemed excited about everything. That optimism made you smile. Hearing his voice reminded you of home and was comforting to hear in person after being gone for over a year. 

It wasn’t an easy decision for you to join Overwatch. When Reinhardt initially asked you about joining, you honestly didn’t believe that there was anything that you could contribute to the organization, but he finally wore you down. Almost every day, as he was getting ready to go to bed and you were just getting up, he would call you in order to tell you about his day. He would talk about the people that had joined or he hadn’t seen in years. He gushed about how they were already working on a mission to infiltrate London soon, and he gushed about the view from the base. He had also talked about how much he missed having you there, but it was nice now that Brigette had joined the team. He wasn’t as homesick any more. While you tried to make the impossible decision on whether or not to join Reinhardt in Spain, you had worked on your book. It ended up being a lot shorter than you intended initially, but you were proud with how it turned out. It would be coming out in a few weeks, and you hadn’t told anyone about it yet. Currently, you had an advance copy in your bag, waiting to be handed over to Reinhardt. 

When you pulled away from his kiss, you reached down, taking his hand and resting your head on his bicep. You turned to the rest of the group, blushing slightly when you realized that a few people were staring at you. “Hi… Sorry,” you said, holding up your free hand in a gesture of hello. You could hear Brigette laughing as she came up to the other side of Reinhardt, patting him on his shoulder. 

“He has been talking about you all week! We’re glad that you’re here!” Brigette said with a smile, waving at you. 

“Thank you, Brig!” you said happily, pulling away to go and hug her tightly. Over the past couple of months you had talked to Brigette a lot as well. She would sometimes find Reinhardt in his office, nearly asleep trying to talk to you and would take the phone to finish the conversation. Or she would call to let you know that he was out on a mission or in a meeting and couldn’t call that night. Over the course of the weeks talking to her, she had become a good friend of yours as well. It made you happy that someone who was so special to Reinhardt was a good friend of yours as well. 

“Ah! I was excited to see you again, Liebling! Brigette blows things out of proportion too much!” Reinhardt declared, rubbing the back of his neck and laughing loudly. 

“I do not! You know how he is!” Brigette said with a smile, rolling her eyes at her godfather. 

You smiled and shook your head, knowing full well that Reinhardt could blow things out of proportion quite easily. It was something that both of them shared but neither really wanted to acknowledge. You went to take Reinhardt’s hand again, placing your hand gently on his bicep. “Either way, dear, I’m here. Maybe I should go introduce myself to the other members of the team?” you asked, trying to get past the embarrassment of the two of them fighting over whether or not Reinhardt bragged about you or not. 

At your suggestion of meeting his friends, Reinhardt lit up. He put a hand on the small of your back, starting to steer you in the direction of the rest of the team. He introduced you to some of the commanders, including Winston, a talking gorilla that you were a little surprised to meet, to say the least. You met a young girl named Pharah who you would later learn was the daughter of Ana Amari, who was a good friend of Reinhardt’s during the first iteration of Overwatch. You got to meet the amazing and spunky Tracer, and the calm and patient Angela. Every time that you met someone new, Reinhardt would beam and get started talking about old missions or what they had been working on. You knew that it would get him started on a tangent, and even though  _ you  _ didn’t mind hearing the stories, but sometimes it was better to just drag Reinhardt off to the next person so that he didn’t get started. 

When you were pretty sure you met everyone on base, the two of you headed back to your room. While you were still just a low-ranked agent and had a bunk waiting for you in the bunkhouse with the rest of the agents, Reinhardt had a little bit of privilege and was given his own room. It was small to the point where you were surprised that he could fit in the room comfortably, but it was quaint, and you could see all of the personal touches that Reinhardt had put on the room. There were pictures of him with friends from each walk of life. There was even a picture of him holding a baby Brigette that made your heart melt a little. There was a blanket on the bed that had been brought from home, and a few books as well, mostly in German. You took a moment to look around the room, smiling brightly. 

“Rein? Promise me that when we get some vacation time, you’ll take me to your home in Germany,” you said, turning to look at him with a smile. You toed off your shoes and went to sit in his lap on the bed. 

“I will take you wherever you want, Liebling. Now that you are here with me I don’t want to let you go,” he said softly, wrapping large arms around you and kissing your jaw softly. 

The small little sign of affection made you smile and practically melt against Reinhardt’s large body. The past year had been extremely difficult without getting to see him personally. Sure, the conversations on the phone and the letters were better than nothing, but now getting to actually be in his arms, feeling muscles and scars under your fingers, it was like the entire world had righted itself. Your fingers traced every scar that you remembered from his time in America with you, pausing only when you found new ones. “Reinhardt… I have been so worried about you this past year. All those nights when you didn’t call me… I only assumed the worst,” you said softly, putting your head against his shoulder. “I want you here. I want you to be  _ happy  _ but I also want you to be  _ safe,”  _ you said softly, moving to slip your hands under his shirt, letting his hands rest on his muscular stomach. 

Reinhardt’s muscles tensed under your fingers as you ran them over his stomach. As his breathing started up slowly again, he wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you as close to him as he could. “You worry about me too much, Liebling,” he said softly, pressing a small kiss to your forehead. 

“It’s because I love you, you idiot,” you teased, looking up and leaning in to kiss him slowly. You shifted so that you were more on your knees, letting you deepen the kiss a little bit as you started to push at the bottom of Reinhardt’s shirt, hoping that he would get the hint. 

Instead of helping you take off his clothes, he reached down, taking your hands in his. He stared down at you, his eye searching your face for any indication that you were lying or joking. Slowly he shifted both of your hands to one of his, easily holding onto both of them in his one. His other hand went to cup the side of your face, his thumb running along the side of your cheek. The look on his face was almost like he was going to cry. “Liebling… Do you mean that?” he asked softly. 

You chuckled softly, tilting your head toward his hand. “What do you mean?” you asked, not wanting to outright laugh at him. 

“Do you really love me?” he asked softly, letting go of your hands so that he could place his hand on the small of your back. 

Slowly you moved to wrap your arms around his neck, playing with his notably longer hair. You leaned in, kissing Reinhardt slowly. “I love you. I love you. I love you. I love the way that you talk about your friends and coworkers. I love the way that you find happiness and joy in everything. I love how brave you are. I love how handsome you are. I love that you have sacrificed  _ everything  _ time and time again,” you said, running your finger over the scar that ran over where his eye was once. “I love that despite everything, you still find the good in people. I love that you snore when your sleep and I love that you can only cook four dishes and forget that boiling water is hot,” you teased. “Reinhardt Wilhelm I love you so much that I can’t put into words what I love about you.” 

You watched as Reinhardt closed his eyes, turning his head enough to kiss at your palm. You could see tears falling from his eye. He smiled against your palm before turning to look back at you. He smiled brightly. That same smile that he gave you in the bar almost two years ago. It was the smile that radiated warmth. “I love you, Liebling,” he said softly. Your heart skipped a small beat. Of course you suspected that Reinhardt felt that way. Afterall, he had gone all the way to America in order to surprise you. Actually getting to hear the words from him… It made it worth it. It made the long distance and the quiet nights and the struggle to see him  _ worth it.  _

Smiling you curled up in his shoulder, closing your eyes and slowly starting to press lazy kisses to his skin. “I love you, Reinhardt,” you whispered softly, just enjoying the moment. You knew that you would have to revel in these quiet moments. After all, you were both official Overwatch agents now. While on duty you would both have to stay professional. “Hey… I have something for you,” you said softly, kissing him slowly again. You pulled away from him, getting up and grabbing your bag. 

Quickly digging through your bag you found the advanced copy of your book. Going to stand back in front of Reinhardt, you hid the book behind your back, biting your bottom lip. “Remember why we met?” you asked. 

“How could I forget Liebling!? That night changed my life!” he said with that classic Reinhardt smile. You laughed and shook your head a little at just how proud he was about that night. 

“Well… I took all the stories I was taking notes on and finally wrote that book that you kept distracting me from while in America,” you said, slowly holding out the advanced copy for Reinhardt. While the advanced copy didn’t have the final cover on it, the title was going to remain the same. In gold letters it read  _ Die Crusader Stehen Watche,  _ a title that you had seen on an older poster while you were in Germany. When translated it meant The Crusaders Stand Watch, and you couldn’t think of a better title than that. One of the biggest struggles that you had when writing your book had been figuring out a way to connect all of the stories together, but when you started writing all you could focus on were the stories from Germany. And it wasn’t just Reinhardt’s stories either. It was all of the German soldiers who had fought alongside the Crusaders or in the German military at all. So, you made that the focus of your first book. “I, um… Just read the dedication page?” you asked softly, opening the book in Reinhardt’s large hands. 

There on the dedication page read the words:  _ To Reinhardt Wilhelm - the love of my life and without whom none of this would be possible.  _

Over the next couple of weeks it was quite the adjustment for you. While Reinhardt seemed to thrive now that he was back on duty, you were struggling getting used to the routine. Being part of the communications department, you were mostly tasked with intercepting coded messages and trying to decipher them. You were also in charge of coming up with believable back stories and identities for the agents that were going undercover. It wasn’t extremely difficult work, but it was time consuming and mentally exhausting. You weren’t used to doing work like this. Reinhardt, however, was in charge of his own team. He ran training exercises and made plans to attack Talon or rebel bases. When his team  _ was  _ assigned to a mission, he was right there with his team, protecting them. And every time he went on a mission, you were left on base to worry. 

You would never say it to Reinhardt’s face, but you were worried that now that he was getting older his reflexes weren’t as good as they once were and he wouldn’t be able to react as quickly and get hurt. Every time that you saw him off from the flight bay, you were worried that it would be the last time you saw him. Or worse he would come back to you in a body bag. The reality of it was that if Reinhardt disappeared on a mission you would be devastated and not able to carry on, but if you actually saw his body returned to you, there probably wasn’t much use living after that. All the worry and stress would make you sick while Reinhardt was gone would actually leave you bedridden, and once you were even in the medical bay because of it, not able to keep food or water down for a particularly long mission of his. It got to the point where whenever Reinhardt was about to leave base on a mission your commanding officer would just give you the days when he was gone off. 

Eventually, after about half a year of being with Overwatch your anxiety about Reinhardt leaving wore off. Afterall, Reinhardt had lasted years in the Crusaders and in Overwatch before. He was smart and knew how to take care of himself. And besides, with you working in the communications department, it was a lot easier to get a com set up between the two of you. That way you could check in when he wasn’t in a compromised position in his mission. 

When Reinhardt was on base the two of you would spend a fair amount of time together. You hadn’t made use of the bunk that had been allotted to you, instead spending your nights in a cramped bed, curled up against the muscular form of Reinhardt. The two of you would enjoy early morning breakfast together on the grounds, and sometimes when you were feeling anxious about a project or needed a break you would have lunch on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. While Overwatch brought more stress than you could imagine, it also brought a sense of peace and calm that you didn’t know existed. It was nice to finally be able to relax with the man you loved, surrounded by people you loved and have a job that made your life full of joy. For once you felt at peace staying in one spot until you died. 


	5. Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _i don't have a leaving plan_  
>  something's gotta ease your mind

The last time that you met Reinhardt was back in Germany. It was a cold autumn day, nearly four years after that first meeting. Most of the trees didn’t have their leaves any more and the normally bright oranges, reds, and yellows were giving way to the greys of winter once again. You were afraid that it might snow soon, and you were hoping that it would at least hold off on this day so that you could get through the event without having to have the guests leave. You knew that most of Overwatch had taken the time off to be here. You were grateful for them all being here. Now more than ever you needed the support of your family. 

For about half an hour leading up to the event you had removed yourself from everyone, sitting in a room by yourself, trying to get your thoughts together. You knew that in a matter of minutes all eyes would be on you. Never one for the spotlight, the mere thought of having to get up in front of a group of not only your friends and family, but also in front of a series of reporters, was making you a little sick to your stomach. But now, in the quiet by yourself as you read the two letters you had over and over again, it made sense. The first letter was one that you wrote, and was more of a speech than anything. The second was the last letter you received from Reinhardt. 

The letter had been read over and over again by now. It had been crumpled and stained as you carried it around base the last month or so. Nearly all of your friends had read part of the letter after seeing the kind of reaction it gave you. Now, sitting by a window in the sunlight streaming in, you read his letter one last time:

_ Liebling-  _

_ I hope that this letter finds you well. I know my mission has taken me too far away from base. Being in the United States to track down this arms deal has been difficult, especially without you here. Either way, the team and I are positive that we should be done with this soon.  _

_ I have heard rumors that an old acquaintance of mine, Jesse McCree, might be here. I wish you could have met him while he was on our side. He was snarky and didn’t listen to anything anyone said. I think the only reason why McCree stayed or listened at all was because he had a sense of freedom that being in a gang didn’t give him. He was fun to be around. What people would call a “life of the party.” I know that a lot of people enjoyed being around him. I think you would have too. _

_ I sometimes worry that you’re going to leave me. I know this is not something to talk about in a letter, but I worry about it. I worry that one day, Liebling, you will wake up and realize that you can do so much better than this old man who tricked you into loving him. I do not want you to stay with me because of obligation after all these years. But I also do not want to lose you to anyone. So Liebling, and I will ask this again when I return home, marry me. Marry me and stay with me for the rest of our time. I am afraid I am nearing the end of my time on the field, but if I stay with Overwatch I can become a leader. I can settle down a little more and hopefully make a life for you. Maybe even have a family, if that was something you were interested in. I have often thought about having a family of my own, and I cannot think of anyone better to share that dream with than you. _

_ I understand if you don’t want to send an answer right away. I am not expecting one until later. But Liebling, you would make this old man the happiest he’s ever been. I know that our relationship has been spent longer apart than together, but every time I am sent on a mission, I know that I am more and more in love with you. The longer I am away the more I realize that I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my days with you in my arms. I want nothing more than to find a quiet home in Germany to spend the rest of my days with you. When it rains, I want you to make tea (you always make it exactly how I like it) and drag a blanket to the couch and sit with me. I want to spend my days cooking the same four dishes that you enjoy and eat even though it’s all I know.  _

_ Most of all Liebling, I want nothing more than to spend my days with you. When I am so old I can’t stand - which is sooner than we both like to believe - I want you there with me.  _

_ I hope this letter finds you well, and you consider my offer.  _

_ Love, Reinhardt  _

The thought of Reinhardt taking time out of his busy mission schedule to write this had made you smile. The question itself had caused you to lay down the first time that you read it. You recalled running to Brigette, gushing about Reinhardt asking you to marry him. You both agreed that it was absolutely ridiculous that he asked you to  _ marry him  _ in a  _ letter.  _ But, to you it was typical Reinhardt, and it encapsulated your relationship perfectly. After all, most of your time with the man had been spent through letters and telephone calls. It seemed appropriate to continue that tradition now. 

You didn’t write back to him right away. Instead, you kept the letter close to you, thinking the question over and over again. There was nothing that you wanted more than to marry Reinhardt the first chance you got. Afterall, he would be returning back from his mission shortly, and then you could easily get married then. There were several people you knew who you were sure would be happy to officiate a wedding, afterall. But, you didn’t want to give him that answer until he was there in person with you. This was a big decision to make, and you wanted to talk to Reinhardt about your expectations going forward. There was one thing you knew for sure, and that was that you wanted to spend the rest of your life with Reinhardt, and hearing him want the same thing made your heart flutter… 

Almost immediately when Reinhardt got back he proposed for real. As soon as everyone was off the drop ship, completely unharmed, he dropped to one knee, declaring his love for you in front of everyone. It was a little embarrassing, but you loved his enthusiasm. You couldn’t even form sentences, just nodding furiously, hoping to convey that there was nothing you wanted more than that. Reinhardt had even gotten you a ring. It was an antique, apparently belonging to his grandmother at one point. It was a simple silver band with blue sapphires and a single diamond in the middle of the band. It was absolutely gorgeous and unique, just like your soon to be husband. 

You wanted the wedding to be small: Something that was personal between Reinhardt, yourself and your closest friends. Reinhardt, being who he was wanted something extravagant. In the end, Winston and Reinhardt both convinced you not only to make the wedding much bigger than you wanted, but also to allow some press coverage. After all, Reinhardt was a hero of the people, and having his name plastered on the paper about getting married would not only be good press for him, but it would also boost Overwatch’s overall image as well. 

That’s how you ended up in the current situation you were in. The reporters and your own personal wedding photographer had been taking pictures all morning, and currently you just needed a moment or two by yourself. You were about to step out there and get  _ married.  _ To Reinhardt Wilhelm. You still couldn’t believe it. It was all so overwhelming to you. Not because you weren’t ready or wanted to be here, but you still couldn’t figure out why Reinhardt wanted to put up with you for the rest of his life. He could have nearly anyone he wanted, and somehow he had settled in on you. It still felt like a dream to you. That you were going to wake up in your hostel back in Germany the same night you met him all those years ago. You would wake up to the harsh reality that everything from that snowy night in Sweden to that tour in Spain would all have been an elaborate joke your brain played on you. 

But the realization that this wasn't a joke was becoming more and more obvious. You were here, reading the letter that initially asked for your engagement. You were in the dress, with the white fabric and lace and everything. The wedding was about to start, and nothing could make you happier except to actually get to spend the rest of your life with Reinhardt. 

As you were trying to collect your thoughts, you heard a knock on the door. Turning, you saw Brigette sticking her head in through the door, smiling. Her hair was done up well and she was in a dark grey dress that complimented her skin tone perfectly. Seeing her made you smile. “Are you ready? I think everyone is waiting for you?” she asked with a smile, stepping into the room and indicating the rest of the party. 

You looked down at the letters in your hands, smiling a bit. You stood up, smoothing out your dress and stuffing Reinhardt’s letter into the top of your dress, the other letter clutched in your hand still. “Yeah. I think I’m ready,” you said with a smile, reaching out and taking Brigette’s hand. The two of you walked out to where the rest of the wedding party was waiting for you, all nervous smiles as you came out from the room with Brigette. You could hear the people in the other room, excited chatter and soft music playing. “Yeah. I’m ready,” you said with a smile, taking your bouquet from Lena.

Your heart was skipping beat after beat as you walked down the aisle, staring straight ahead. All you could focus on was Reinhardt at the altar; his white hair, now longer than ever, pulled back into a bun, his beard nicely trimmed. It was a lovely contrast to his dark grey suit. Your eyes locked with his, and it was like everything else melted away. All you had to do was focus on getting to the altar and everything would be fine. One step in front of the other. Calm your breathing. Just focus on the man that would be your husband in just a few moments. 

When you reached the altar you handed your bouquet off again before taking Reinhardt’s large hands. It was comical to you that he could easily hold both your hands in one of his, but you didn’t mind it anymore. It was a comfort. It made you feel safe and protected. It was a comfort that you missed way too much. But now, in this exact moment, it was the most comforting feeling you ever experienced. You were so wrapped up in feeling the callouses on Rein’s hands, the way that his thumb was running over your skin, the way that the light caught his hair - that you weren’t paying attention to anything else. It wasn’t until Reinhardt nudged you, whispering a soft “Liebling” that you even realized that it was time to read your vows. 

“Oh… I’m sorry,” you said, blushing bright pink. You finally pulled your hands away from Reinhardt’s. You reached into your dress, pulling out the second letter that you had written nearly three weeks prior. Slowly unfolding it, you glanced up at Reinhardt with a smile before looking back at your paper, still blushing. 

“ _ Reinhardt-”  _ you started, clearing your throat slightly. “I had never intended to fall in love with you the day I approached you in that bar. I never intended to  _ see  _ you again after that night. But, impulsivity drove me to give you my number, and I am so glad that I did. When I first heard from you after that night, I was excited to hear more stories about your time in the Crusaders and with Overwatch. I believed that we would stop talking at some point, and that you would tire of me just like everyone else in my life has before. But, for some reason you kept on writing and calling and wishing to see me again. I don’t know when I started to suspect that I might want something more from you, but I do remember the night I fell in love. It was in Sweden. The night you walked me back to my hotel room,” you paused, smiling softly, remembering the night. You looked up at Reinhardt, not wanting to spend too much time in your letter. 

“It was snowing,” Reinhardt said softly, making you smile. 

“It was snowing. And you had given me your coat. I remember the two of us standing there for a few minutes, just holding each other’s hand and watching the snow. There was a moment when I looked up, and I knew that I was in love. I don’t know when or how, but love is funny that way. It has a way of sneaking up on you when you least expect it,” you said softly. You crumbled up your letter, putting it back down the front of your dress as you just focused on Reinhardt. No matter what words you were trying to express in that letter it didn’t compare to what you were feeling right now.

“I can tell you all kinds of promises and tell you everything I know about love, but it doesn’t compare. Nothing compares to how I feel about you, Reinhardt. There are not enough words in the world that would let me express how I feel about you. But, I remember thinking to myself the first time I met you that you were like a ray of sunlight. Like walking out on a cold morning and feeling the warmth on your face. And sunlight feels good now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was so much fun to write! Thank you all for reading! As always, feel free to yell at me on tumblr @ writingsparxx and on twitter @devsparxx

**Author's Note:**

> As always, feel free to contact me on tumblr at writingsparxx


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